An Empowered Spirit Blog Post

When I Walk: A Documentary Premiering On PBS Is An Honest Look At Life With MS

By Cathy Chester on June 10, 2014

The film “When I Walk” by filmmaker Jason DaSilva will premiere on PBS on Monday, June 23, 2014. It was an Official Selection at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and the Best Canadian Feature at HotDocs, 2013. Original music is composed by Emmy award winner Jeff Beal (read my interview with Jeff about his MS journey here.) I was provided with a complimentary copy of the film.  All opinions expressed are strictly my own.when i walk documentary film

By the age of 25, Jason DaSilva was a young man blazing his own trail as an accomplished documentary filmmaker, picking up an Oscar nod along the way for his film “Olivia’s Puzzle.” His talents as a documentarian were evident as his star began to rise with several well-reviewed films under his belt.

He seemed unstoppable.

Jason enjoyed an active social life that was typical of a young man living in Manhattan, enjoying the vibrancy of an exciting city with friends and family.

All of that was about to suddenly change forever.

when i walk film documentary

Jason enjoyed capturing his life on film. Bringing his camera along on a day at the beach at a family outing was typical. But this particular day would be different. Jason had no way of knowing that while he was busy documenting his life, something terrible was about to happen.

While walking on the sand, Jason suddenly fell to his knees.  As hard as he tried, he couldn’t stand up.  For the first time in his life Jason was totally helpless, forcing him to rely on others to get him back on his feet.

This was the beginning of Jason’s next journey.

Jason received the devastating news that he had primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, a form of MS that steadily worsens without any distinct relapses. He soon realized that filming his journey would be unprecedented; he was the perfect person to illustrate what it was like to live a life with a degenerative disease.

This film is a dedication to Jason’s struggle, and I applaud his indomitable spirit that he displays with his broad smile and genial manner while facing each day with more obstacles than the one before. He exposes himself to us on film, and we are a silent audience helplessly watching this lovely, vibrant man bravely face the horror of his disease.

“When I Walk” is an extraordinary piece of art, bringing us along on Jason’s journey, watching him slowly lose the ability to walk, to see and to maneuver a city that can be inaccessible and unkind to someone with a disability.

What struck me about this film is Jason’s unwavering honesty and his life-affirming outlook on the joy of life.  We watch him laugh and cry, always relying on his strong inner spirit to guide him with the harsh realities of living with MS.  His family envelops him, and I was particularly touched by how spiritually strong his mother was, taking care of his physical, emotional and spiritual needs with tough love.

Alice, Jason’s new wife, is his partner in every way. She, too, shares her honesty about life with a husband who is living with an incurable disease.  Her dedication to Jason is touching to watch, from their courtship to their wedding, and then onto trying to start a family. A tragic miscarriage at a hospital that was inaccessible to Jason was heartbreaking to watch.  But then some good news. Well, you’ll have to watch the film!

when i walk film documentary

While traveling around the world in a quest to find a miracle – healing waters, meditation, yoga – we witness Jason trying to find a cure, searching for a way back to the life he once knew.

In the MS community, Jason is a giant among us.  He has been telling his story since his diagnosis, and I have had the good fortune to read his story and hear about his ventures for a long time.  His film has been highly anticipated because it tells our story to the non-disabled world.  We not only applaud Jason for his efforts, but also thank him for creating this documentary.  Educating others about Multiple Sclerosis is important to us, because we want them to know that we matter, we add great value to the world, and we are more than our MS. We continue to keep hope in our hearts that a cure will be found in our lifetime.

“These days, I’m working on developing AXS Map, a crowd-sourced online tool for sharing reviews on the wheelchair accessibility of buildings in New York City. And while I miss the incredible spontaneity and unlimited access to the city I once had, my diagnosis was not the end of the world….it has provided a new way for me to see and be in the world. This was the basis for the voice and heart that emerged in the film.” ~Jason DaSilva, Director/Producer

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Author

Cathy Chester

Comments

  1. Wow, I felt moved just reading your review, so I will absolutely look for this on my PBS channel and watch it. Thank you so much for sharing it (and for representing with your own brand of joy).

  2. Jason sounds like an inspiring young man, and I'm looking forward to checking this out. I find myself gravitating more and more to documentaries lately, and really love learning more about people's stories. Thanks for introducing me to this one.

  3. Wow Cathy - this sounds like an incredible film. I'd really like to see it. Jason's story sounds like one of hope and inspiration and courage -- disability or not, this sounds like a documentary everyone should see.

  4. Thank you so much Cathy! This is such incredibly important work - both Jason's and yours. The trailer moved me to tears - from empathy and from happiness that this will help us educate a little more of the world about MS. Can.not.wait. to watch it!

  5. I can't wait to watch the documentary, When I Walk. My husband and I have been married for 38 years and 23 of those years have been living with MS. We will never forget the day we received the news that my husband Alec had MS. We have tried a number of things in hopes to stop the progression. In 2010 Alec tried CCSVI which, unfortunately did not work for him. He is a man who will never give up! He's 64 years old still works full time and hand cycles. A few years back he was selected as Ambassador for the CT. MS Chapter BKM bike race for which he participated in. He is truly an inspiration not only to me and, our two amazing daughters but, to many others who have had the opportunity to meet him. We've come a long ways since my husband was diagnosed, we are hearing more and more about the disease, unfortunately it's due to the fact that more people today are being diagnosed with the disease than years past. Today what concerns me the most about the disease, is how many individuals are being diagnosed and how young and how quickly the disease attacks them. We need to unite and stand together and by doing so we can win the battle. Never ever give up!

  6. Awesome review, Cathy. I agree with one of the comments that this film will resonate beyond the disability community. I look forward to watching and learning. Thank you for sharing.

  7. I watch films about people living with dementia and cancer (both documentaries and fictional depictions), but I think I should branch out to look at how people with MS manage. There will be some differences but a lot of similarities, too. I am glad to see this director bring his talents to advocacy and awareness. It was great that he could roll with it and move forward in a new direction. Thanks for the post / trailer.

  8. Thank you for sharing this infio. I am looking forward to watching the PBS show on 6/23/14. I have had MS for 40 years this last March. This will briing l;ight to all of us who have MS. Thank You,
    linzi

  9. Hi Cathy,

    I caught your post on LinkedIn and followed the link.
    Thanks for posting this. I am very interested to see the film.
    I see that PBS is running the film on the 23rd. Do you have any idea if it will be broadcast anywhere else?

    I am in Canada and I am sure that there would be a vast audience that would be interested in this.

  10. cant wait to watch im putting in my phone so the day of the movie my alarm will go off ,ms brain would forget!!

  11. Thanks, Cathy, for sharing this review with those of us who missed it last week. I will share this as well, so that more with MS and their family and friends will be aware of it. Another well-written piece of yours!

  12. I pray and hope Jason's film will open a window to show people that do not know the issues we endure each day dealing with MS and other disabilities. I know this film will be like looking into the mirror of facing my own issues day to day, and that's a big part of our own process of healing in our own journey. When some one goes through a disability of any kind, it is a great burden on the whole family...it's not just you having the diseases, it the husband, the wife, the girlfriend, the boyfriend, etc. I know Jason promises us and eye opening revelation of all theses issues during his 90 minutes documentary. He reminds me of the deep search we all go through of finding answers, and looking anywhere and to anyone from some peace of mind. These pass couple of weeks, I have been so inspired by the life of Jason DaSilva..every since I heard of him, I have been looking up every piece of information online to peek just a little window into his soul. I already feel ..with out being broken..we can't receive blessing. It's the times when we can't put food on the table or not having enough money in the bank to pay our bills. These are the times when cracks and craves of our life fill up with something beyond ourselves.That one extra step, to see the invisible. Even though we wake up with aches and pains, we still get up. When everything is closing in all around us, we find that last bit of inner strength to push through....That's how Jason makes me feel right now, he is so inspiring..

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The mission of this blog is to encourage those with MS, to educate the world on what MS is and isn’t, and to help those with MS live a joyful and empowered life.
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